Research

Our department is a unique, vibrant research environment that encompasses interdisciplinary approaches to major questions in chemical, biological, and environmental engineering. Our work runs the gamut, from computational analyses to experimental in vitro and in vivo systems, and clinical studies and field work.

Three thematic areas characterize our faculty’s research:

Biomedical Engineering

At the intersection of chemical engineering and biology, on-going research includes biomaterials for neural tissue engineering, systems proteomic analyses of microbial function, novel biomaterials and platforms for hemostasis and drug delivery, and engineered platforms and systems biology applied to investigate and treat immune dysfunction in cancer and infectious disease.

Biochemical Engineering

Research in this area strives to engineer host cells to efficiently produce greater amounts of recombinant protein and cell-free systems to to produce therapeutics automatically. Systems biology studies strive to understand gene regulatory networks using proteomic analysis and mathematical modelling. In the traditional area of bioprocess engineering, research includes studies to improve chromatographic separations of recombinant protein and sensor development for a myriad of applications.

Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineers in the department are actively researching the fate and impact of pharmaceuticals in wastewater, analysis and remediation of toxic pollutants in soils and other environments, the processes governing atmospheric chemistry and aerosol pollution, and advanced real-time modeling and monitoring of groundwater-surface water conditions.